The Little House in the Big Woods

Even with an army of cooks, and a restaurant full of diners, part of Arthur will be saved for “later” in the true Garde Manger sense. Hams are good, Sausage is good, it only makes sense that we will relish in Arthur for as long as we can. I find inspiration for this in a strange place, the Laura Ingalls Wilder 1932 children’s classic, Little House in the Big Woods. Behind the story of a little girls view on life in 19th century Wisconsin, the book is a primer on preservation of meat, and therefore life, in a very remote wood.

Rendering lard, Headcheese, frozen sage sausage (kept in the shed over the winter), smoked ham and shoulder, and a keg of salt pork.

“The little house was fairly bursting with good food stores away for the long winter. The pantry and the shed and the cellar were full, and so was the attic.”

So what to save from arthur? A 18 month dry cured ham is a must! Maybe a pepperoni, pizza could never taste so good. Tasso ham with a spicy kick? I could go on for days, let me know what you think in the comments. No matter what we choose to age, these tasty bits will be a long lasting reminder of our pig, and I can’t think of any better way of honoring his life than this.